Miss Ballito – Flying high beautifully

At 1,56m, Khanyisile Zondo is not the tallest Miss Ballito, but she is the first black bearer of the crown and she plans to make her reign a memorable one.

“My biggest fear is not to have made a difference with this crown at the end of my reign,” said the ambitious Zondo from Tongaat.

“Although raising funds and giving people food is great, I want to do more than that. I am hoping to come up with a sustainable project to teach young people how to choose the right career for their skills and how to go into the career world successfully. I want to highlight the impact of their social media presence and how important it is to think about what you put online.”

Before becoming Miss Ballito 2015, the third year medicine student at UKZN actually wanted to fly high, but was cut short by her height.

“I wanted to become a pilot through the army, but I was too short to qualify.”

Instead, she now plans to specialise in neurosurgery.

“I love a challenge. I want to always learn, improve and safe lives. There are not many black females in this field, so I think it will be a good area for me to break into.”

The newly crowned Zondo said it has not yet sunk in that she is Miss Ballito.

The competition is a project of the Rotary Club of Zimbali.

“It is all so unbelievable. I still think about those terrifying minutes before they announced the winner. Thank goodness I was wearing a long dress because my knees were shaking terribly. I was so relieved they gave me a chair to sit on after they announced my name, because my knees could not keep me up.”

She said it was not easy to take part in the competition, because of her demanding studies and the constant travelling between UKZN and Ballito, but she had to do it.

“I have always been passionate about modelling and having been at Protec, while I was at school in Tongaat, Marion Takis instilled the importance of giving back in us. Miss Ballito is the perfect mix between the two.”

Zondo is going to start giving back on November 26.

“I plan to host a workshop in Tongaat to give young people an insight into the entertainment industry. I want to get speakers to inform them of the different jobs behind the scenes such as sound engineers and the like.”

This is sure to be one of many uplifting and empowering events the young, determined Miss Ballito 2015 will be hosting.